Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1312 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R11950 KJE-D
2	2	By: Watson S.B. No. 1312
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the Texas Competency-Based
8	8	Education Grant Program for certain students enrolled in
9	9	competency-based online or other distance education baccalaureate
10	10	degree programs at certain private institutions of higher
11	11	education.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
14	14	Subchapter U to read as follows:
15	15	SUBCHAPTER U. TEXAS COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM
16	16	Sec. 56.601. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
17	17	(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
18	18	Education Coordinating Board.
19	19	(2) "Eligible institution" means a nonprofit,
20	20	tax-exempt, regionally accredited college or university located in
21	21	this state that offers competency-based online or other distance
22	22	education.
23	23	(3) "Expected family contribution" means the amount of
24	24	discretionary income that should be available to a student from the
25	25	resources of the student and of the student's family, as determined
26	26	by the coordinating board following the methodology prescribed by
27	27	the United States Department of Education for the purpose of
28	28	determining a student's eligibility for need-based student
29	29	financial assistance.
30	30	(4) "General academic teaching institution" has the
31	31	meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
32	32	(5) "Program" means the Texas Competency-Based
33	33	Education Grant Program established under this subchapter.
34	34	Sec. 56.602. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas
35	35	Competency-Based Education Grant Program is to provide financial
36	36	assistance to enable eligible students to enroll in
37	37	competency-based online or other distance education baccalaureate
38	38	degree programs at eligible institutions.
39	39	Sec. 56.603. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; PRIORITY FOR
40	40	FINANCIAL NEED. (a) The coordinating board shall administer the
41	41	program and adopt any rules necessary to implement the program or
42	42	this subchapter. The coordinating board shall consult with the
43	43	student financial aid officers of eligible institutions in
44	44	developing the rules.
45	45	(b) The total amount of grants awarded under the program may
46	46	not exceed the amount available for the program from
47	47	appropriations, gifts, grants, or other funds.
48	48	(c) In determining who should receive a grant under the
49	49	program, the coordinating board and the eligible institutions shall
50	50	give highest priority to awarding grants to students who
51	51	demonstrate the greatest financial need.
52	52	Sec. 56.604. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To be
53	53	eligible initially for a grant under the program, a person must:
54	54	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
55	55	coordinating board rules;
56	56	(2) meet financial need requirements as defined by
57	57	coordinating board rules, including a requirement that the person's
58	58	expected family contribution for the academic year does not exceed
59	59	the maximum expected family contribution established for this
60	60	purpose by the coordinating board;
61	61	(3) be enrolled in a competency-based online or other
62	62	distance education baccalaureate degree program at an eligible
63	63	institution;
64	64	(4) not be receiving a grant or other gift aid under
65	65	any other state financial aid grant program for the same academic
66	66	period; and
67	67	(5) comply with any additional nonacademic
68	68	requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this
69	69	subchapter.
70	70	(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
71	71	program if the person has been granted a baccalaureate degree.
72	72	(c) A person's eligibility for a grant under the program
73	73	ends on the earliest of the following dates:
74	74	(1) the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a
75	75	grant under the program to the person and the person's enrollment in
76	76	an eligible institution, if at the time of the initial award the
77	77	person had earned less than 60 semester credit hours or an
78	78	equivalent number of competency units or credits toward the
79	79	person's degree;
80	80	(2) the second anniversary of the initial award of a
81	81	grant under the program to the person and the person's enrollment in
82	82	an eligible institution, if at the time of the initial award the
83	83	person had earned 60 or more semester credit hours or an equivalent
84	84	number of competency units or credits toward the person's degree;
85	85	or
86	86	(3) the date the person receives a baccalaureate
87	87	degree.
88	88	Sec. 56.605. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
89	89	PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
90	90	grant under the program, a person may continue to receive a grant
91	91	under the program during each semester or term in which the person
92	92	is enrolled at an eligible institution only if the person:
93	93	(1) meets the criteria for initial eligibility under
94	94	Section 56.604(a);
95	95	(2) makes satisfactory academic progress toward a
96	96	baccalaureate degree; and
97	97	(3) complies with any additional nonacademic
98	98	requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
99	99	(b) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
100	100	Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
101	101	person may not receive a grant under the program during the next
102	102	semester or term in which the person enrolls. Unless the person's
103	103	eligibility for a grant expires under Section 56.604(c), a person
104	104	may become eligible to receive a grant under the program in a
105	105	subsequent semester or term if the person:
106	106	(1) completes at least 15 semester credit hours or an
107	107	equivalent number of competency units or credits in a semester or
108	108	term during which the student is not eligible for a grant; and
109	109	(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
110	110	(c) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
111	111	satisfactory academic progress toward a baccalaureate degree only
112	112	if the person completes at least 15 semester credit hours or an
113	113	equivalent number of competency units or credits in each semester
114	114	or term in which the person is enrolled.
115	115	(d) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
116	116	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under the
117	117	program to receive a grant if the student's completion rate falls
118	118	below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of this
119	119	section in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown,
120	120	including:
121	121	(1) a showing of a severe illness or other
122	122	debilitating condition that may affect the person's academic
123	123	performance; or
124	124	(2) a showing that the person is responsible for the
125	125	care of a sick, injured, or needy person and that the person's
126	126	provision of care may affect the person's academic performance.
127	127	Sec. 56.606. GRANT USE. A person receiving a grant under
128	128	the program may use the money to pay any usual and customary cost of
129	129	attendance at an eligible institution incurred by the student. The
130	130	institution may disburse all or part of the proceeds of a grant
131	131	under the program to an eligible person only if the tuition and
132	132	required fees incurred by the person at the institution have been
133	133	paid.
134	134	Sec. 56.607. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The maximum annual amount
135	135	of a grant under the program for a full-time undergraduate student
136	136	equivalent enrolled at an eligible institution is an amount equal
137	137	to 75 percent of the average state appropriation for the state
138	138	fiscal biennium preceding the biennium in which the grant is
139	139	awarded for a full-time undergraduate student equivalent enrolled
140	140	at a general academic teaching institution, as determined by the
141	141	coordinating board.
142	142	(b) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the
143	143	coordinating board to increase or decrease, in proportion to the
144	144	number of semester credit hours or competency units or credits in
145	145	which a student is enrolled, the amount of a grant award to a
146	146	student who is enrolled in a number of semester credit hours or
147	147	competency units or credits in excess of or below 15 semester credit
148	148	hours or an equivalent number of competency units or credits.
149	149	Sec. 56.608. GRANT NOT TO AFFECT ADMISSION. An eligible
150	150	institution may not deny admission to or enrollment in the
151	151	institution based on a person's eligibility to receive a grant
152	152	under the program or a person's receipt of a grant under the
153	153	program.
154	154	SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
155	155	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter U, Chapter 56,
156	156	Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
157	157	the effective date of this Act. For that purpose, the coordinating
158	158	board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for
159	159	emergency rules.
160	160	(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
161	161	begin awarding scholarships under Subchapter U, Chapter 56,
162	162	Education Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year
163	163	for which money is appropriated for that purpose, except that the
164	164	coordinating board may not award grants under that subchapter for
165	165	an academic year before the 2016-2017 academic year.
166	166	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
167	167	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
168	168	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
169	169	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
170	170	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.